Dear Explorer,
Read Matthew 13:44-46
When you realize that you are a sinner who is hopelessly empty and there is no way that God is allowing you into Heaven but that instead you are headed to an eternity away from God, it should produce in you a great and terrible longing for a Messiah. When you find Him, what are you willing to give in exchange for it?
Let's look at some of the things that we must give up to follow Jesus. We lose our old life, our SELF-centeredness, our old way of doing things that have led to failure after failure. The things we give up are things that cause us pain and suffering and heartbreak. When we find Jesus, we discover that everything that we've ever had before was worthless. We exchange that worthlessness for the pearl of great price or the treasure in a field: An eternal, unfailing relationship with the God of the Universe, a friendship and relationship with Jesus who pays for all our sins and failures, and an indwelling Holy Spirit who will guide us and direct our steps so that we can become all that God intends for us to be. We become whole and purposeful human beings. We walk in peace and love and joy and patience and kindness and goodness and faith and gentleness and SELF under control. Wow!
Read Matthew 13:47-52
I believe that Jesus is reminding us that not only do we exchange our old empty lives for this new filled one – but that it impacts our future for all eternity. When you invite Jesus into your empty core, your life becomes valuable and keepable! Those who refuse Jesus are discarded and doomed to an eternity away from God. That's not my words – that's straight from Jesus' mouth. Inviting Jesus into your core has eternal significance.
Then in Matthew 13:52 Jesus says something that is precious to me. Lately I have wondered if the years I had spent studying the Old Testament were wasted. Maybe I should just focus on Jesus and the New Testament writers. Here Jesus assured the Jewish teachers that their studies were not in vain or wasted if they now followed Jesus and invited Him into their core. Jesus came to complete the story, so those followers who have studied all the Scriptures have more treasure to share with others. That makes me glad that I have studied both! It's all part of the same story. The Old Testament is the foreshadowing of the arrival of Messiah and the New Testament is the fulfilling and completing of the old and beginning of the NEW WAY.
I hope that you will explore all of God's Word.
In His service, dale
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